Closer Gardeck starts strong for UA

By Chase GoodbreadSports Writer

Tuesday

Feb 21, 2012 at 12:01 AM

TUSCALOOSA | Alex Hudak jogged back to the dugout shaking his head.The Florida Atlantic outfielder had just endured the basketball equivalent of shooting an airball, the football equivalent of fumbling a snap: He had struck out on just three pitches.And Ian Gardeck had arrived.

TUSCALOOSA | Alex Hudak jogged back to the dugout shaking his head.The Florida Atlantic outfielder had just endured the basketball equivalent of shooting an airball, the football equivalent of fumbling a snap: He had struck out on just three pitches.And Ian Gardeck had arrived.The University of Alabama’s first-year closer didn’t treat the other two batters he faced in his UA debut much more kindly Friday night, striking out Corey Keller on four pitches and Kyle Newton on only five. With fastball velocity that registers in the upper 90s, Gardeck’s two scoreless innings — he pitched the ninth on Sunday as well — were among the few positives to come from UA’s 0-3 start to the season.“He was pretty good tonight. If we can get that out of Gardeck, we’re going to be fine in the back of the game,” UA coach Mitch Gaspard said of the right-hander’s debut. “I don’t know what it was velocity-wise, but it was hard. And his command was really good.”Improving command is, in essence, what Gardeck’s pro aspirations revolve around. A former high school catcher, he didn’t take the mound until his junior year of high school at Crystal Lake South in Chicago. From there he earned a scholarship to the University of Dayton, where he struck out nearly a batter per inning in 2010 but struggled with his control in walking nearly a batter per inning as well.Count Jeff Livin among Gardeck’s true believers.The Angelina (Texas) Junior College coach was on the receiving end of Gardeck’s transfer from Dayton, and coached him for the 2011 season. Gardeck speaks highly of the progress he made in his one season at Angelina, but Livin believes it could have been better.“We never got his control harnessed. He trusted me to make him the guy he dreamed he’d be. Sometimes things don’t always click,” Livin said. “We had him a year and would liked to have had him for two, but that’s no excuse. The bottom line is, I didn’t get him there. It was through no lack of effort by me or Ian.”Still, the Chicago White Sox liked what they saw of Gardeck at Angelina enough to draft him in the eighth round last June. Gardeck could not come to terms with his hometown team, however, and instead followed through on his commitment to Gaspard at Alabama. Livin has coached three big league pitchers at Angelina — Padres right-hander Andrew Cashner, who is considered a top prospect, Indians starter Josh Tomlin, and Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz.Livin ranks Gardeck’s fastball with any of them.“I think the kid could have gone in the first round. He showed me stuff at times that was the best fastball I’ve ever coached,” Livin added. “Not necessarily on pure velocity, because Cashner has hit 101 (mph), but Ian showed movement at times that was freakish. I know for a fact he reached 97 for us, and it seems so effortless for him to get it up there.”Gardeck said he has built a strong relationship with UA pitching coach Dax Norris, in part because both are former catchers.“He and I really speak the same language,” Gardeck said. “Catching, and pitching and hitting, it’s all similar in that you’ve got to get your body in the right position first before you let it go. He understands that. We really are on one page.”Brett Booth, when asked about the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Gardeck, shook his head. As the Crimson Tide’s catcher, he gets perhaps the best view of the Gardeck fastball that some believe is destined for the Major Leagues.“That’s probably something you’ll see a lot of this year,” Booth said of Friday’s strikeouts. “He has a really live arm. The ball just explodes out of his hand. It’s fun to watch.”Gardeck, for one, believes he’s in the right place to learn to throw strikes more consistently.“I’m a young pitcher, so control is always an issue,” he said. “I’m a power-arm guy, and back-end guys typically aren’t pinpoint. I’m not going to be perfect. But with the coaching staff making a few minor adjustments, we’ve made some progress. We’ll continue to make progress. The big thing is getting ahead early.”

Reach Chase Goodbread at chase@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.

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